New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week in its modern iteration was started by Fern Mallis and Stan Herman in 1993.
New York Fashion Week kicks off fashion month, and is followed by fashion weeks in London, Milan and Paris in February and September. Spring collections are historically shown in September, while fall collections are historically shown in February.
New York Fashion Week evolved from Press Week, which began in the '40s. Eleanor Lambert founded Press Week to showcase American fashion during World War II when editors couldn't travel to Europe. The event helped promote American fashion when many major European fashion houses were on hiatus during the war.
Press Week went on for decades. Then in 1993, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) took over the event, and then-president Stan Herman and executive director Fern Mallis consolidated the citywide events into what became known as New York Fashion Week. It was initially rebranded with the trademark "7th on Sixth."
Throughout the '90s and 2000s, New York Fashion Week was held at Bryant Park in pop-up tents. In 2011, New York Fashion Week left Bryant Park and migrated to Lincoln Center. In 2015, after New York Fashion Week's organizer WME/IMG's contract with Lincoln Center ended, the event was split between Skylight Moynihan and Skylight Clarkson. After Moynihan underwent construction for Penn Station to expand in 2017, Clarkson was the primary venue until 2018. From 2019 until the present, Spring Studios has been the main venue for New York Fashion Week, though a large percentage of designers choose to show off site.
Major American designers have made their runway debuts at New York Fashion Week, including Michael Kors, Christian Siriano, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Prabal Gurung and Anna Sui.
The event has seen some historic fashion moments, such as Ralph Lauren's 50th anniversary show in 2018, when he transformed Central Park's Bethesda Terrace into a runway, drawing everyone from Hillary Clinton to Oprah to watch. There was Marc Jacobs' show for Perry Ellis in 1993, which many saw as the birth of '90s grunge. The show ultimately got Jacobs fired, but the pieces were so popular he reissued them in 2019. In 2000, Alexander McQueen hopped Stateside for a collection he showed on the West Side of Manhattan, famously dropping his jeans at the end of the show to reveal American flag boxer shorts.
New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Raun Larose Men’s Fall 2017
Raun Larose played with volumes and proportions for his namesake collection.
Kenneth Ning Men’s Fall 2017
Kenneth Ning took inspiration from Gordon Gekko, Michael Douglas' character in "Wall Street," for his fall…
Matiere Men’s Fall 2017
The U.K. punk movement of the late Seventies served as the core behind cofounders Scot Shandalove, Henry Choi…
Nautica Men’s Fall 2017
"We went into the archive and...kept the spirit of what was being done at the time," creative director Steve…
You As Men’s Fall 2017
This season included preppy and punk looks.
John Elliott Men’s Fall 2017
The Los Angeles-based designer who has built his reputation as a leader in progressive streetwear over the…
Patrik Ervell Men’s Fall 2017
Patrik Ervell returned to the show circuit with a collection that once again celebrated youth subculture.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label Men’s Fall 2017
In his return to New York Fashion Week: Men's, Ralph Lauren's Purple Label collection once again redefined…
Carlos Campos Men’s Fall 2017
With this collection, Campos has become adept at finding the right balance between trend-right merchandise…
Brett Johnson Men’s Fall 2017
Brett Johnson turned to his Virginia roots as the inspiration for his third season.
N. Hoolywood Men’s Fall 2017
The aesthetic resulted in skillful layering of multiple jackets, puffers, sweaters worn as scarves, and the…
N-p-Elliott Men’s Fall 2017
Elliott fought against homogeny in many ways for his fall collection.
EFM Men’s Fall 2017
EFM continued to elevate athleticism through fluidity and structure for its fall collection.
Robert Geller Men’s Fall 2017
Robert Geller was torn between love and war for his fall collection.
Dyne Men’s Fall 2017
Dyne showed for the first time at New York Fashion Week: Men's.